


What did you do?

by MirandaRoseOfSkywall (lostinmymindforever)



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Mates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-19 11:37:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7359691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostinmymindforever/pseuds/MirandaRoseOfSkywall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Khadgar has always known that somehow Lothar had survived his death all those years ago. When he finally understands what had happened, he does what he has to to bring Lothar back to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What did you do?

**Author's Note:**

> First ever soulmate-mark fic from me.  
> In this universe the marks vanish, painfully, upon the death of your mate.

Khadgar watches as the hero falls. There are no healers nearby so he knows the wound is a fatal one. He’s been watching this hero for a while now, a man who looked almost identical to Lothar. The mortal wound that felled this hero of Azeroth is shockingly identical to the one that took Lothar’s life all those years before. Even the armor that the man wore was the same. A thought crosses the Archmage’s mind, a temptation that he, sadly, is unable to resist.  
The spell is easy enough for him, in all these years he has grown stronger. Without even a flash of light, barely a blur, the hero’s body is gone, and in it’s place is a stunned, yet alive, Anduin Lothar. ‘Let the Alliance have their dead hero,’ Khadgar thinks to himself, watching the stunned look that is on Lothar’s face.  
“What did you do?” Lothar asks him, confusion obvious on the warrior’s countenance.  
“I saved you,” Khadgar responds, as if those words are all he needs to say to make Lothar understand. Perhaps Khadgar was merely being selfish, perhaps this wasn’t the right thing to do, but by the Light, Khadgar feels no remorse for doing what he did.  
The sounds of battle ring around them, the forces of the Alliance and Horde rushing in to drive back their enemies. Lothar grabs his weapon, preparing to throw himself into battle in this strange new world, not fully comprehending what the Archmage has done. All Lothar knows is there are enemies to fight, a war to be waged, and throws himself into the fray. He’s surprised to see Orcs and Humans fighting side by side against the dark tides that are rushing towards them. He sees beings he’s never seen before fighting the enemy. He sees Khadgar, surrounded by a league of other mages casting spells at the mass of dark, twisted forms that seem to be overwhelming them.  
Lothar fights, seeing the symbol of Stormwind upon the tabards of many fighters. He sees the walking dead, some wearing the symbol of Stormwind, of the Alliance, some wearing the colors of groups he knows not of. And yet all fight together in this battle against some larger foe. He watches as another warrior fights through the masses, the man looking so much like King Llane had, a look of grim determination on the man’s scarred face as he cuts down their enemies like a scythe cutting through a field of grain. The other warrior sees him, pauses briefly, a shocked look on his face before focusing back on the task at hand.  
The battle rages on, the joined forces of the Alliance and Horde pushing back their enemies, taking down more of them than those they lose.  
Khadgar falls to his knees, his power draining as the battle winds down, the mages surrounding him forming a human shield around his body. He tries to see Lothar in the mass of flesh, giving a soft breath of thanks when he sees the man unharmed.  
When Khadgar comes to he is in the barracks in the Alliance command center, his King standing rigid in the doorway watching him. He sits up, thinking of just how he will explain his actions, but a look of thanks, honest if angry, passes over King Varian Wrynn’s face before he turns and leaves. Lothar had been important to him as well, Khadgar knows.  
“What did you do?” again the same question, and Khadgar looks over to see Lothar, blood spattered and bruised sitting on the bed next to his.  
“I saved you. You… it’s been many years… I found a way,” Khadgar trails off, feeling selfish at his actions.  
“Khadgar, how?”  
Khadgar doesn’t know if Lothar is asking him how he did the spell or how he felt he had the right to do it. “You were gone. For decades. What was I supposed to do? When I saw the hero fall, the one who could have been your doppelganger, I knew… no one would have known the difference. I saw a chance and I took it.”  
Lothar rubs at the back of his neck, fingers trailing over the mark he’s had for most of his life, a rune that simply says “Truth” in the Dwarven language. He looks at the Archmage, seeing the years that fill the man’s eyes, and leans over, placing his hand over Khadgar’s heart, over the spot where he knows the mage has a similar mark, one that means “Lion”.  
Khadgar looks at where Lothar’s hand rests, feeling the mark on his chest almost burning. It had never gone away, not after all this time, only dimming a bit, and Khadgar had always known that somehow, someway he would have Lothar back. “All these years I knew I’d eventually be with you again,” Khadgar finally spoke. “The mark never went away, it never vanished. And yet all these years… I’ve lived with you dead. I...”  
Lothar placed his fingers on the Archmage’s lips to silence him. He didn’t know what all had happened in the many years since his apparent death. He couldn’t begin to comprehend the loss his mate had felt all this time, knowing that somehow he’d be able to be with Lothar again, yet having to live with the stark truth that Lothar was gone. He placed a gentle kiss onto Khadgar’s lips, resting their foreheads together. “Tell me all that has happened since...” he didn’t know what words to say, since he’d “died”, since he’d “vanished”, Lothar didn’t know what would truly be the right words to explain this.  
Khadgar nodded, and began to tell him everything.  
It was many hours later when they were interrupted, a young man coming in to bring them food.   
“Your Highness,” Khadgar said, bowing to the young man.  
Prince Anduin Wrynn set the plates down on the table next to them, stating, “I have heard many great stories of you, Sir Lothar. My father speaks highly of you.”  
Lothar looked at the young man with a fond smile, he reminded him much of Varian, “Hopefully he hasn’t embellished them too much.”  
The prince shook his head, showing himself out of the barracks.  
“Varian named his son after you,” Khadgar said as soon as the door was closed. “That was Crown Prince Anduin Llane Wrynn, heir to the throne of both Stormwind and the Alliance. He’s a good young man, not a warrior like yourself or his father, but a good, loyal, courageous, righteous young man nevertheless.”  
Lothar was touched that Varian had named his son after himself. There was so much he had missed out on, so much he had left to learn. A part of him didn’t want to know the answer, but he had to ask nevertheless, “Did you ever take another mate?”  
Khadgar shook his head, “No. You are the only mate I’ve ever had, and the only mate I’ll ever want. Even if you had been truly dead, I would have never taken another.”  
Lothar closed his eyes, pulling his mage into his arms once more. “Tell me more of what I have missed out on.”  
Khadgar began to speak once more, trying to tell Lothar everything, but knowing that he’d need time, more time than they might possess to tell the story completely.  
And Lothar listened, his heart breaking at the loss Khadgar had faced, anger coursing through him at what had been done to his people, happiness filling him when Khadgar told him of the small joys that had been. He could hear the sadness in his mate’s voice, could almost taste the loneliness he had felt for all these long years, for him only days, and he wept when Khadgar had to pause, too hurt to continue. He held his mate close, vowing that nothing would separate them again.


End file.
